Country Q&A: Week of November 12, 2008

By Neil Haislop

The Wreckers photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Each week country music expert Neil Haislop answers your questions!

Q: Are The Wreckers still singers?
(Cori, Eagle Point, OR)

A: Cori, The Wreckers, Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, are still singers. They just decided not to sing together as a duo and have dissolved the act. Both are busy pursuing solo careers.

Q: Are fans of Garth Brooks still able to write to him? We are unable to find an address to send fan mail.
(Kris, Bieber, CA)

A: Kris, the best way to get contact information about Garth Brooks is to check his website, garthbrooks.com. It’s a very proactive fan site.

Q: Is Vince Gill going to release any new music in the near future and will he ever return to what he was to get a single to the top of the charts? I am seeing him during both his Thanksgiving and Christmas tours.
(Michelle, Herndon, VA)

A: Michelle, Vince Gill is still releasing material from his monster collection of new songs, These Days. But, his latest release is Vince joining Wynonna Judd and BeBe and CeCe Winans, singing "Right Now (We Need One Another)." It was recently debuted on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." To get that single, visit vincegill.com.

Q: What has happened to Ricky Van Shelton? Is Blake Shelton his son?
I was a fan of Ricky.
(Patricia, Springfield, OH)

A: Patricia, as of May 2006, Ricky Van Shelton stopped being an active artist, including retiring from the road. You can check in on Ricky Van at his website, rickyvanshelton.com. And, no, Ricky Van and Blake are not related.

Q: : I started a poem about my two-year-old granddaughter, Angelina, who passed away in March this year. A physician told me that I should take the poem and make it into a song. Can any country people that are interested let me know how I can get this going? She would have been three on November 8.
(Shirley, Coram, NY)

A: First Shirley, I’m sorry for your tragic loss, and pleased for you that you’ve been able to put your feelings about Angelina into a poem. Since it’s extremely difficult to get any song ideas to professional writers in Nashville, I suggest you try closer to home. If you are a member of a church, many choir directors are very talented musicians, or know those that are in town. So, I would contact a local choir director, music teacher at a college or university, or even a local music store, to see if they can help you connect with somebody that could help you turn your poem into a song a tribute song for Angelina.

Q: I heard about Zac Brown’s new song, "Chicken Fried," and I was wondering if you could put some of Zac Brown’s songs on GACTV.com?
(Cameron, Bay Minette, AL)

A: Cameron, the Zac Brown Band has come out of nowhere to No. 2 in the nation, so they don’t have a backlog of videos that GAC could be airing yet. But GAC is airing their clip of "Chicken Fried." So keep watching for it, or do a search for "Chicken Fried" to find out when the video is airing each day.